Gasly: 'It will be really crucial to nail the start'

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Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly reckons the long run down to the first chicane after the start will set-up his chances of a good result in Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

The Frenchman put in an impressive performance in qualifying, making it through to Q3 before securing the ninth fastest lap in the top-ten shootout, a result he wasn't expecting before the Saturday afternoon session got underway.

"Today was unbelievable, we didn’t know if we would get through to Q2 before qualifying, and then we made it to Q3!" said Gasly.

"It’s an amazing feeling to be starting in P9, everything went super well during qualifying, I managed to get a good gap and slipstream and put one of my best laps in for the season.

"I think this was clearly the best result we could have achieved in Qualifying, and it’s fantastic to have done it at Toro Rosso’s home race."

Stroll 'hooks it up' at Monza, secures impressive P10 start

Gasly said his Friday free practice sessions had not been satisfactory, but overnight changes to his STR13 proved beneficial.

"I didn’t feel so great with the car yesterday, but we made some good progress overnight and now I feel much better with it," he said.

"Today was half of the job done and now we need to finish the other half tomorrow.

"It’s a really long way from the grid to Turn 1 so it will be crucial to really nail the start, then after that just try to be at the right place at the right time because it’s going to be tight.

"When you start further up the grid it’s a bit less risky, so I’ll try to put my car in the right place to keep it clean, then push as much as possible."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.